Colombia SMS Guide: Sender IDs & RNE

At a glance

A quick operational read on Colombia. Anything marked route-dependent is set by the supplier and operator path your traffic uses, and is confirmed during route assessment.

SMS to mobile: Supported
SenderID presentation: Common international A2P routes overwrite international numeric and alphanumeric senderIDs with a shared or route-assigned Colombian shortcode, and on some routes a local longcode
Alphanumeric senderID preservation: Not supported on common current routes
International longcode preservation: Not preserved on common current routes
Domestic longcode: Not generally available as a standard A2P senderID; selected provider-specific two-way services may use a local numeric senderID
Dedicated shortcode: Route-dependent; where a route supports it, operator or MVNO exceptions may still affect presentation
Two-way SMS: Available on selected local longcode or shortcode services; route- and provisioning-dependent
Number portability: Available
Marketing: Prior authorisation, RNE suppression, statutory contact hours and channel/frequency controls required
Concatenation: Generally available but senderID- and route-dependent
Last reviewed: 31 July 2026

Route-dependent: “Route-dependent” means the behaviour is decided by the supplier and operator path your traffic takes, not by Colombian statute. Two providers can behave differently on the same day, and a route can change its policy. Confirm before launch.

Law, route policy and recommendation

Colombian data and contactability law, supplier route rules and our own operating standard are three different things. Every statement on this page is labelled so the right team can act on it.

Law / regulation
Law and regulation
Binding obligations from Colombian legislation and the telecoms regulator, including data-protection authorisation, contact-hour limits and RNE consultation duties. These apply whichever supplier you use.
Carrier or route policy
Carrier or route policy
Rules enforced by operators, aggregators or your provider on the specific A2P path your traffic takes — senderID rewriting, shortcode provisioning, separate traffic credentials, content restrictions. Supplier-dependent and subject to change.
Flowstates recommendation
Flowstates operational recommendation
What we ask customers to do because it protects deliverability and keeps you comfortably inside both the law and route policy. Deliberately stricter than the legal minimum.

Numbering and networks

The basics your validation layer and templates need to get right before the first send.

Law / regulationNumber format
Colombian mobile numbers use ten national digits under the current numbering and dialling scheme, and are normally written in E.164 as +57 3XX XXX XXXX.
Law / regulationDialling code
Country dialling code +57. Mobile country code 732.
Law / regulationNumber portability
Number portability is available in Colombia and is heavily used. Never infer the current network from the original number range.
Carrier or route policyNetworks
Current CRC datasets name Claro, Movistar, Tigo and WOM as the principal mobile network brands. Tigo and Movistar are under common control as part of the current market integration, so supplier and operator mapping must still be confirmed against live route data rather than inferred from brand or prefix.
Flowstates recommendationValidation
Validate to E.164 and run mobile-number validation or lookup before sending. Standard SMS routes should target mobile numbers, so fixed-line destinations should be validated out rather than submitted and failed.
Flowstates recommendationPortability handling
Because portability is heavily used, resolve the current network at send time instead of caching an operator against a contact record.

E.164 example

+57 3XX XXX XXXX

Country code 57, then the ten national digits of a Colombian mobile number, normally starting with 3.

SenderID options

In Colombia what the recipient sees is decided by the route, not by the value in your API call. On common international A2P paths the submitted senderID is overwritten with a Colombian shortcode, so design the message body around that.

Carrier or route policy

Best for, what the recipient sees and replies describe carrier or route behaviour on current A2P paths in Colombia — not Colombian statute. They vary by supplier and operator, dedicated shortcode presentation can have operator or MVNO exceptions, and all of it is confirmed before launch rather than guaranteed universally.

Rewritten international A2P senderID

Best for: Fast launch of one-way OTP and transactional traffic on a validated route
What the recipient sees: A shared or route-assigned Colombian shortcode, and on some routes a local longcode — not the submitted brand or international number
Replies: Not assumed

Dedicated Colombian shortcode

Best for: Scale, a recognised numeric identity and possible two-way programmes
What the recipient sees: The approved dedicated code where the operator preserves it; exceptions may be rewritten to a shared code
Replies: Potentially available when provisioned

Provider-provisioned local two-way service

Best for: Approved service, support or conversational use cases that genuinely need inbound replies
What the recipient sees: The local longcode or shortcode assigned by the selected supplier
Replies: Yes, only when explicitly configured

Alphanumeric sender

Best for: Not a dependable branding option in Colombia
What the recipient sees: Generally a rewritten shortcode or local longcode senderID rather than your brand name
Replies: No

SenderID options
Option	Best for	What the recipient sees	Replies
Rewritten international A2P senderID	Fast launch of one-way OTP and transactional traffic on a validated route	A shared or route-assigned Colombian shortcode, and on some routes a local longcode — not the submitted brand or international number	Not assumed
Dedicated Colombian shortcode	Scale, a recognised numeric identity and possible two-way programmes	The approved dedicated code where the operator preserves it; exceptions may be rewritten to a shared code	Potentially available when provisioned
Provider-provisioned local two-way service	Approved service, support or conversational use cases that genuinely need inbound replies	The local longcode or shortcode assigned by the selected supplier	Yes, only when explicitly configured
Alphanumeric sender	Not a dependable branding option in Colombia	Generally a rewritten shortcode or local longcode senderID rather than your brand name	No

Put the brand and purpose in the message body, because the senderID is commonly rewritten. Sender availability and presentation are route- and operator-dependent, so we validate them for your traffic before launch rather than publishing fixed expectations.

What changes by traffic type

Colombia is not one rulebook. The same destination behaves differently depending on the category you send and the route it takes.

OTP / authentication

Suitable on validated high-quality routes.

Flowstates recommendation
Keep the copy purely transactional and short — no marketing, no offers, no upsell in a verification message.
Flowstates recommendation
Identify the brand in the message body, because the senderID is commonly rewritten to a shared Colombian shortcode.
Flowstates recommendation
Avoid relying on concatenation. Fit the OTP into a single segment wherever practical.
Flowstates recommendation
Monitor latency, delivery, verification conversion and per-operator performance rather than submitted-versus-delivered counts alone.
Flowstates recommendation
Configure route failover so a degraded route does not become a failed login queue.
Law / regulation
Do not assume every OTP is automatically outside the RNE. The registry is aimed at commercial and publicity contact, and any reliance on a requested-information or transaction/fraud exception has to match the actual template and use case.
Carrier or route policy
Some supplier routes require OTP and transactional traffic to use separate credentials or route pools from promotional traffic. Confirm before launch.

Transactional / service

Suitable for alerts, confirmations and account or service updates.

Flowstates recommendation
Identify the brand and state the purpose of the message clearly.
Flowstates recommendation
Use a branded domain for links rather than a public or shared shortener.
Flowstates recommendation
Keep promotional content out of transactional templates — mixed content invites re-classification.
Law / regulation
Map and document any message that relies on an RNE exception. The current CRC rules expressly identify timely confirmations of monetary transactions, information requested by the consumer, fraud or unusual/suspicious transaction alerts, and specified savings and cesantías information. Do not claim that every transactional SMS is exempt.
Carrier or route policy
Enable replies only where a two-way route has been explicitly configured. Inbound handling is not a default on Colombian A2P paths.

Marketing / promotional

Prior authorisation, RNE suppression, statutory contact hours and channel/frequency controls before launch.

Law / regulation
Law 1581 of 2012 requires prior and informed authorisation for the processing of personal data, and its freedom principle describes consent as prior, express and informed. The marketing or prospecting purpose must be covered and the evidence retained.
Law / regulation
Law 2300 of 2023 extends channel, hours and periodicity protections to commercial and advertising contact, including SMS. The consumer may only be contacted through the channels they authorised.
Law / regulation
Once direct contact has been established, the consumer must not be contacted through multiple channels in the same week, nor more than once during the same day.
Law / regulation
Default legal window: Monday to Friday 07:00–19:00 Colombia time, Saturday 08:00–15:00, and no commercial or publicity contact on Sundays or Colombian public holidays.
Law / regulation
Check the CRC Registro de Números Excluidos (RNE) and suppress the channels selected by registered consumers.
Flowstates recommendation
Provide a free, simple opt-out and maintain an internal suppression list alongside the RNE.
Flowstates recommendation
Spanish keywords such as SALIR or CANCELAR should be supported because recipients use them. We do not state that any particular keyword is universally mandated by Colombian statute, although some provider routes require those terms.
Carrier or route policy
Use the promotional route agreed for your traffic, and separate traffic credentials or route pools where the route requires it.

Colombian law, the RNE and contactability

Colombia is often summarised as “you need opt-in and you must respect the RNE”. Both halves are more specific than that, and the nuance decides whether a campaign is lawful. Here is the distinction we hold customers to.

Law / regulation
Law 1581 of 2012: the processing purpose must be legitimate and disclosed, and absent a statutory exception the treatment requires authorisation that can be consulted later. The holder may request proof of the authorisation, learn how their data is used, and exercise the applicable revocation and suppression rights.
Law / regulation
Enforcement context: the SIC's October 2025 Movistar decision confirmed a sanction for repeated SMS, WhatsApp and telephone commercial prospecting without prior, express and informed authorisation. Treat it as current enforcement practice, not as a new statute.
Law / regulation
Law 2300 of 2023, Article 5 applies its contactability protections to commercial and publicity messages sent through SMS, messaging and web applications, email and calls.
Law / regulation
Law 2300 hours: Monday to Friday 07:00–19:00, Saturday 08:00–15:00, and no contact on Sundays or public holidays.
Law / regulation
Once direct contact has been established, there must be no contact through multiple channels in the same week and no more than one contact in the same day. That trigger matters: it is not an unconditional campaign-frequency rule detached from an established contact.
Law / regulation
The law contains a mechanism for a consumer to expressly request different hours through a separate instrument after the governing contract. We do not rely on that exception without specific evidence and legal approval, so the operational default remains the statutory window.
Law / regulation
Resolution CRC 7356 of 2024 expanded the Registro de Números Excluidos. Producers and providers must consult the channels consumers have excluded and abstain from commercial or publicity contact on those channels.
Law / regulation
For operators, PCAs and technology integrators, CRC rules require databases to be kept updated so commercial or publicity SMS are not sent to RNE-registered users, and provide five business days to stop after registration.
Flowstates recommendation
We suppress as soon as the RNE record is ingested rather than using the five-business-day window as a grace period, and we require a fresh RNE check before every campaign launch.
Law / regulation
RNE registration does not cover the expressly listed contacts: timely confirmation of monetary transactions, information requested by the consumer, fraud or unusual/suspicious transaction alerts, and the specified savings and cesantías communications.
Law / regulation
RNE registration also does not automatically terminate commercial messaging services the consumer specifically requested before registering, or expressly requests afterward.
Flowstates recommendation
We nevertheless require proof of that specific request or authorisation, plus legal review, before anyone bypasses an RNE suppression.
Flowstates recommendation
The RNE is not a universal network block. It is a registry of excluded channels that your organisation has to query and operationalise, so treat it as a data pipeline obligation rather than something the network enforces for you.
Flowstates recommendation
No particular stop keyword is presented here as mandated by Colombian statute. Support Spanish-language requests such as SALIR or CANCELAR because recipients use them, not because a law names them.
Carrier or route policy
Individual routes may impose stricter consent evidence, content review or category restrictions than the statutory minimum. Some prohibit P2P traffic, prohibit generic sender labels such as INFO, SMS or NOTICE, or restrict political, religious, gambling and unsolicited promotional traffic. Those are provider rules, not Colombian statute.
Carrier or route policy
M2M delivery may be best effort on some routes. Confirm expectations before you build a machine-to-machine flow on a Colombian A2P path.

Operational compliance checklist

What we expect to see in place before a Colombia route goes live.

Law / regulation
Record the legal basis, the source and the permitted purpose for every recipient record.
Flowstates recommendation
For promotions, retain the recipient, timestamp, source, wording or version, purpose and the authorised contact channel or channels.
Law / regulation
Maintain that evidence so the authorisation can be retrieved and consulted later.
Law / regulation
Check and ingest the RNE before launch, then refresh suppression continuously or daily.
Flowstates recommendation
Suppress a registered number as soon as the RNE record is ingested rather than waiting out the statutory window.
Flowstates recommendation
Maintain an internal suppression and do-not-disturb list in addition to the RNE, across every sending system.
Flowstates recommendation
Identify the sending brand and the purpose of the message in the body, because the senderID is commonly rewritten.
Flowstates recommendation
Provide an easy, free opt-out and support Spanish requests such as SALIR or CANCELAR, without claiming a universal statutory keyword.
Flowstates recommendation
Enforce Colombia local time and keep an up-to-date Colombian public-holiday calendar in the scheduler.
Law / regulation
Default to Monday to Friday 07:00–19:00 and Saturday 08:00–15:00, with no commercial contact on Sundays or public holidays.
Flowstates recommendation
Do not rely on alternative-hour consent without separate evidence and legal review.
Law / regulation
Apply the Law 2300 channel and frequency controls once direct contact has been established.
Flowstates recommendation
Do not use purchased lists.
Flowstates recommendation
Classify templates before launch and keep promotional copy out of OTP and transactional templates.
Carrier or route policy
Separate transactional and promotional credentials or routes where the supplier requires it.
Flowstates recommendation
Use a branded short domain rather than a public or shared URL shortener.
Carrier or route policy
Validate the exact sender, use case and route before launch — behaviour differs between suppliers on the same destination.
Carrier or route policy
Confirm category acceptance for your route before launch. Sensitive content categories can be restricted on some routes without being universally unlawful in Colombia.
Law / regulation
Adult content may only be sent to adults who expressly requested it under CRC rules.
Carrier or route policy
Rate-limit by route and by sender.
Flowstates recommendation
Keep template, consent, RNE, campaign, suppression and route-approval records.

Encoding and delivery

Spanish copy makes encoding a real cost and delivery question in Colombia, and concatenation cannot be assumed on every route. Test it rather than trusting a generic table.

GSM-7, single segment: 160 characters
GSM-7, concatenated: 153 characters per segment
Unicode / UCS-2, single segment: 70 characters
Unicode / UCS-2, concatenated: 67 characters per segment

Flowstates recommendation
Spanish accents, smart punctuation and formatting copied from a document can change the encoding, which shortens the segment and raises cost. Check the encoding your template actually produces.
Carrier or route policy
Concatenation is generally supported on common Colombian routes but remains senderID- and route-dependent. Test the selected path before you design multi-segment templates.
Flowstates recommendation
Keep OTP templates to a single segment and run an end-to-end test across the selected operators and routes with your real copy before launch.
Flowstates recommendation
Validate mobile numbers with lookup before sending — portability is heavily used, so the original range tells you nothing reliable about the current network. Normalise to +57 3XX XXX XXXX.

A country guide is only useful when the route follows it

Knowing Colombia's rules is the easy half. Keeping every send inside them, on supplier routes that change their policy, is the operational half — that is the part we run.

Per-country and per-category routing
OTP, transactional and marketing traffic take different Colombia routes, with the right policy and credentials applied to each category.
SenderID management
We manage sender presentation and shortcode provisioning where a route supports it, and design templates for the common Colombian case where the sender is rewritten.
Carrier-grade failover
When a Colombia route degrades, traffic moves before your verification funnel does.
Per-route visibility
Delivery, latency and OTP conversion measured per route and per operator, so a route policy change shows up as data rather than complaints.
24/7 vendor escalation
We chase the supplier and the carrier. You get the update, not the ticket queue.
BYOV / BYOG
Keep your Colombian supplier and contracts and let us operate the routing, or use ours.
Branded short links
Links on your own domain instead of a shared shortener, which route filters treat very differently.

Developer docs Branded short links

What we need to validate your Colombia route

Send us these and we will come back with the route options, the sender behaviour you should expect and the policy that applies to your category.

Company or legal entity and website
Traffic category and use case
Spanish and English sample templates
Expected monthly volume and peak sending rate
Consent or authorisation journey and evidence for promotional traffic
Authorised contact channels
RNE checking and suppression process, and who owns it
SenderID preference
Link domains you intend to use
Whether you need replies or two-way messaging
Target launch date

Validate my Colombia route Book a messaging review

Frequently asked questions about SMS in Colombia

Can I send SMS to mobile numbers in Colombia?

A quick operational read on Colombia. Anything marked route-dependent is set by the supplier and operator path your traffic uses, and is confirmed during route assessment. SMS to mobile: Supported. SenderID presentation: Common international A2P routes overwrite international numeric and alphanumeric senderIDs with a shared or route-assigned Colombian shortcode, and on some routes a local longcode. Alphanumeric senderID preservation: Not supported on common current routes. International longcode preservation: Not preserved on common current routes.

Which sender ID options work for SMS in Colombia?

In Colombia what the recipient sees is decided by the route, not by the value in your API call. Rewritten international A2P senderID — Best for: Fast launch of one-way OTP and transactional traffic on a validated route. Dedicated Colombian shortcode — Best for: Scale, a recognised numeric identity and possible two-way programmes. Provider-provisioned local two-way service — Best for: Approved service, support or conversational use cases that genuinely need inbound replies. Alphanumeric sender — Best for: Not a dependable branding option in Colombia.

What are the consent and opt-out requirements for SMS in Colombia?

Colombia is often summarised as “you need opt-in and you must respect the RNE”. Law 1581 of 2012: the processing purpose must be legitimate and disclosed, and absent a statutory exception the treatment requires authorisation that can be consulted later. The holder may request proof of the authorisation, learn how their data is used, and exercise the applicable revocation and suppression rights. Enforcement context: the SIC's October 2025 Movistar decision confirmed a sanction for repeated SMS, WhatsApp and telephone commercial prospecting without prior, express and informed authorisation. Treat it as current enforcement practice, not as a new statute. Law 2300 of 2023, Article 5 applies its contactability protections to commercial and publicity messages sent through SMS, messaging and web applications, email and calls.

How many characters fit in an SMS to Colombia?

Spanish copy makes encoding a real cost and delivery question in Colombia, and concatenation cannot be assumed on every route. GSM-7, single segment: 160 characters. GSM-7, concatenated: 153 characters per segment. Unicode / UCS-2, single segment: 70 characters. Unicode / UCS-2, concatenated: 67 characters per segment.

Sources and change control

Regulator, statute and provider references behind this guide. Provider documentation reflects one supplier's current route policy, not Colombian law.

Regulator
CRC — Colombia's ten-digit national numbering and dialling scheme
Official reference for the current ten-digit national numbering and dialling scheme.
Regulator
CRC — mobile portability and operator market update (2026)
Current portability activity and mobile brand landscape used to describe the operator market.
Statute
Secretaría del Senado — Law 1581 of 2012
General personal-data protection regime: prior and informed authorisation, purpose, and holder rights.
Statute
Secretaría del Senado — Law 2300 of 2023
Contactability protections covering authorised channels, contact hours and periodicity for commercial and publicity messages.
Regulation
CRC — Resolution 7356 of 2024 (RNE update)
Expansion of the Registro de Números Excluidos and the duty to abstain from contact on excluded channels.
Regulator guidance
CRC — Concept 513485 of 2024 (RNE consultation duties)
Consultation and database-update duties for operators, PCAs and technology integrators, including the five-business-day period.
Regulator guidance
CRC — Concept 524125 of 2023 (Article 5 commercial-message hours)
Interpretation of the Law 2300 contact hours and channel/frequency limits for commercial messages.
Enforcement
SIC — 2025 Movistar commercial-prospecting data sanction
October 2025 sanction for repeated SMS, WhatsApp and telephone prospecting without prior, express and informed authorisation.
Provider documentation
Twilio — Colombia SMS guidelines
Current provider guidance describing alphanumeric sender IDs as unsupported and sender rewriting on Colombian routes.
Provider documentation
Vonage — Colombia SMS features and restrictions
Second provider view of Colombian sender presentation, reply support and content restrictions.
Provider documentation
Telnyx — Colombia SMS guidelines
Third provider view of Colombian sender presentation, traffic separation and route-level content restrictions.

Change log

31 July 2026 — Initial publication; separated Colombian data and contactability law and RNE obligations from live sender and route policy.

Last reviewed 31 July 2026

Disclaimer

This is operational guidance, not legal advice. Operator, route, sender type, traffic category and customer configuration can change the applicable path. Flowstates confirms it during onboarding.

Colombia SMS guide